Method and electronic circuit for memory replacement

Abstract

A method and electronic circuit for memory replacement are provided. The method for memory replacement includes generating an input signal in response to an event for a memory, providing the input signal to a time-varying circuit including a plurality of time-varying devices, generating an output signal by reading a value stored in at least one time-varying device among the plurality of time-varying devices, and determining a storage space for replacement, based on the output signal.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for memory replacement, the method comprising:
 generating an input signal in response to an event for a memory;   providing the input signal to a time-varying circuit including a plurality of time-varying devices that correspond to a plurality of storage spaces of the memory and store values that change with time;   generating an output signal by reading a value stored in at least one time-varying device among the plurality of time-varying devices; and   determining a storage space for replacement from among the plurality of storage spaces of the memory, based on the output signal.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the generating of the input signal comprises generating a different input signal according to the type of the event for the memory. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the generating of the input signal comprises:
 generating a first input signal when the event for the memory is an event in which a storage space for replacement in the memory does not need to be determined; and   generating a second input signal when the event for the memory is an event in which a storage space for replacement in the memory needs to be determined.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the providing of the input signal to the time-varying circuit comprises providing the input signal to the time-varying circuit such that the value stored in at least one time-varying device among the plurality of time-varying devices is changed. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the providing of the input signal to the time-varying circuit comprises providing the input signal to the time-varying circuit such that the value stored in at least one time-varying device among the plurality of time-varying devices is read. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the providing of the input signal to the time-varying circuit comprises providing the input signal to a time-varying device corresponding to a storage space related to the event among the plurality of storage spaces of the memory, from among the plurality of time-varying devices. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the generating of the output signal comprises generating the output signal by reading values stored in two or more time-varying devices corresponding to two or more storage spaces related to the event among the plurality of storage spaces of the memory, from among the plurality of time-varying devices. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the determining of the storage space for replacement comprises:
 selecting one time-varying device from among the two or more time-varying devices by analyzing, based on the output signal, the values stored in the two or more time-varying devices; and   determining a storage space corresponding to the selected time-varying device, from among the two or more storage spaces, as the storage space for replacement.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the selecting of the one time-varying device from among the two or more time-varying devices comprises selecting one time-varying device storing a value less than a predetermined value, from among the two or more time-varying devices, based on the output signal. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the selecting of the one time-varying device from among the two or more time-varying device comprises selecting one time-varying device storing a smallest value, from among the two or more time-varying devices, based on the output signal. 
     
     
         11 . An electronic circuit for memory replacement, the electronic circuit comprising:
 an input circuit configured to generate an input signal in response to an event for a memory;   a time-varying circuit configured to receive the input signal, and comprising a plurality of time-varying devices that correspond to a plurality of storage spaces of the memory and store values that change with time;   an output circuit configured to generate an output signal by reading a value stored in at least one time-varying device among the plurality of time-varying devices; and   a controller configured to determine a storage space for replacement from among the plurality of storage spaces of the memory, based on the output signal.   
     
     
         12 . The electronic circuit of  claim 11 , wherein the memory comprises at least one of a register, a cache memory, and a main memory. 
     
     
         13 . The electronic circuit of  claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of time-varying devices comprises at least one of a memristor, dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), and static random-access memory (SRAM). 
     
     
         14 . The electronic circuit of  claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of time-varying devices is configured to increase a stored value as an input signal generated in response to an event in which a storage space for replacement in the memory needs to be determined is provided. 
     
     
         15 . A method for replacing a set-associative cache, the method comprising:
 generating an input signal in response to an event for the set-associative cache;   providing the input signal to a time-varying circuit including an array of time-varying devices that correspond to a plurality of lines of the set-associative cache and store values that change with time;   generating an output signal by reading a value stored in at least one time-varying device in the array of time-varying devices; and   determining a line for replacement from among the plurality of lines of the set-associative cache, based on the output signal.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the providing of the input signal to the time-varying circuit comprises:
 selecting a row and a column of the array of time-varying devices, based on an index and a way of a line related to the event from among the plurality of lines; and   providing the input signal to a time-varying device in the selected row and the selected column in the array of time-varying devices.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the selecting of the row and the column of the array of time-varying devices comprises:
 selecting a row of the array of time-varying devices corresponding to the index of the line related to the event; and   selecting a column of the array of time-varying devices corresponding to the way of the line related to the event.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the generating of the output signal comprises generating the output signal by reading values stored in time-varying devices in one row in the array of time-varying devices. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the generating of the output signal comprises:
 selecting a row of the array of time-varying devices, based on an index of lines related to the event from among the plurality of lines; and   generating the output signal by reading values stored in time-varying devices in the selected row in the array of time-varying devices.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the determining of the line for replacement comprises:
 selecting one time-varying device from among time-varying devices in the selected row by analyzing, based on the output signal, values stored in the time-varying devices in the selected row; and   determining, as the line for replacement, a line of a way corresponding to a column of the selected time-varying device from among the lines related to the event.